Fifth grader reimagines hockey in national science fair third-place win
New York fan proposed engineering tweak, of transparent boards and seating adjustments, to NHL arenas
"A common problem for me, and I've realized, for a lot of other people, is that I can't see the puck because of the boards," Mia said.
But if the boards were clear, Mia said she could better navigate the game.
So, the then-10-year-old wrote up a five-page proposal on transparent hockey boards and submitted it to the 2020 Future Goals Virtual Science Fair.
In her report, "Innovation on Ice: A Transparent Approach," Mia pitched replacing the current opaque boards around the corners of NHL rinks with clear glass. She also suggested moving the first two rows of seats farther from the corners of the rink.
In 2019
, 19.1 million workers in the United States age 25 and older worked in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Women made up half of those in STEM fields, but only a quarter of workers in computing and even less (15 percent) in engineering. Everfi and Future Goals Virtual Science Fair presented by SAP -- and Mia -- are out to change that.
The NHL and NHL Players' Association launched the Future Goals program as an initiative to provide STEM education to young fans. To date, the program has reached more than 3.5 million students. The Future Goals Virtual Science Fair presented by SAP encourages students to solve sports-related problems through STEM.
"With a few simple changes to existing arenas, it may be possible to solve one of hockey's most frequent complaints, increasing current fan enjoyment and bringing new fans to the game," she wrote in her report.
Before the New York Rangers and New York Islanders fan struggled to follow the puck at her brother's hockey games, Mia had trouble doing so at Nassau Coliseum.
"Me, my dad and my brother went to an Islanders game," she said. "It was also kind of hard to see."
The Wilson family knows the game well. Mia's father Jeff grew up in Detroit worshipping Steve Yzerman, and James was born on Yzerman's birthday, which, in the Wilson house, is a big deal. As an adult, Jeff passed on more than just a fandom to his children, but the lessons of hockey.
"My wife and I] are trying to teach [Mia and James] leadership and how to be a leader, not a follower," Jeff said. "[Hockey] is a fast-moving game that you spend a long season watching and they get really invested in it. We're trying to get them up to speed on how to put time into something and work hard."
While the idea of transparent boards may not be completely NHL-ready just yet, Mia still won third place in the Future Goals Virtual Science Fair.
On March 15, about two months after submitting her project, the director of enterprise account management at Everfi, Olivia Zehner, told Mia she placed in the Top 3 for her age category. Two weeks later, Mia logged onto Zoom and found herself face-to-face -- digitally -- with Brian Mullen. The former New York Rangers forward congratulated her before she watched a recorded video-message from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
She also received an iPad, AirPods and NHL-themed school supplies.
"It's not about the prize," Mia said. "It's really about the experience. There's this poster in my school, it says, 'The journey is the prize.' That's really true in this case."
The national recognition all stemmed from Mia's relationship with her family, and her family's relationship with hockey.
"[Mia and James] are best friends," Mia's mother Moli said. "She always wants to go watch James play hockey."
Mia, now 11, and James, 7, also like the same TV shows, food -- noodles and ice cream -- and books. While Mia doesn't play hockey, she and James frequently partner up for inline skating adventures.
"It's kind of like the feeling of being on the ice," Mia said.
If Mia wanted to pick up hockey, Jeff said she easily could.
"The only thing that is more impressive than Mia's brain is her ability to play any sport at all," Jeff said. "If she wanted to play hockey, I wouldn't discourage it at all because I know she'd be great."
Every weekend during the spring and summer, the Wilson's play tennis together, Mia said. On days when it's too cold outside, they're at home having comedy nights and joke competitions. In the basement, Jeff -- who grew up playing pond hockey -- can be found shooting foam pucks with Mia, James and their mini sticks.
Hockey helps the Wilsons be active, but more importantly, it allows them time with each other.
Each morning, Mia and Jeff check the NHL box scores, specifically of the New York and Michigan teams, and there's rarely a hockey game of those they'll miss.
"If I have a football game on, I'll have one or two of them walking in [to the TV room] and then walking out," Jeff said. "If I have a baseball game on, I can't get either of them to sit for that long. But if I have a hockey game on, I'll have two of them -- one sitting on one knee and one sitting on the other. For me, that's the best of all possible worlds."
Jeff said the best moments around the sport have yet to come as James evolves as a player and the family as fans. For Mia, the Future Goals Virtual Science Fair presented by SAP is happening again in 2021, and she plans on submitting another project.
The STEM-based Virtual Science Fair, which is the first and only competition of its kind among major sports leagues, is open to all students in grades 4-8 across the United States and Canada. In line with NHL Green's ongoing commitment to promote green business practices, and SAP's global efforts to help its partners and customers drive sustainable change, this year students are encouraged to showcase their STEM skills and submit a project redesigning one element of a professional-level hockey arena to make it more environmentally sustainable. Areas of focus may include facility components, arena operations or a fan activity. Submissions are open until Jan. 31, 2022. Anyone looking to make a submission can learn more
[here
.
"I'm going to do it again this year because I really love it so much," Mia said.
